After apparently running out of coin-op games to port and
lacking any original ideas for new games on the VCS, Atari
turned to its kids licenses such as Disney, Peanuts and
Sesame Street to try and create a whole new market for
its machine. Most of its offerings weren't exactly memorable,
but Snoopy And The Red Baron is one of the
exceptions.

Take Defender, water it down a tad, and
add the Peanuts characters and lavish it with bright
and colorful graphics and you have Snoopy And The Red
Baron. While this doesn't sound like a recipe for
fun, enough attention to detail was put into this game
to make it a treat for all ages. From the opening
strains of the Snoopy theme to the final victory melody,
the whimsical tunes add to the charm of this game.
Atop his high-flying Sopwith Camel doghouse, Snoopy
battles it out with the infamous Red Baron, represented
by a constant flow of Fokker Tri-Plane silhouettes.
The side-scrolling playfield consists of clouds above,
barren landscape below and miles of blue sky. While
duking it out with the Red Baron, players can also swoop
down and grab floating beer steins, bones and hamburgers
for points. It takes eight hits to take down one of the
Baron's planes, and the Baron must also pummel the
doghouse eight times before the valiant dog is doomed
as well. And since this game has no ending, you can
win a few battles, but never the war.

Air-action veterans will probably find Snoopy's antics a
tad on the mild side compared to Defender
or Time Pilot. However, the fine treatment
of Snoopy and his long-time foe adds to the fun and
playability, making a game that would otherwise be
strictly kid stuff into one that even adult players can
enjoy for awhile.